Its Not Over
by BossaNovaBaby24
Summary: Bill breaks and grieves at Starbucks death, and Laura is there to piece him back together.


**Authors Note**

**First big angsty fic. Not much to say really, so I shall leave you with a disclaimer and the hope that you will enjoy it almost as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**Disclaimer : I so don't own them. Wish I did, but I don't. I assure you, if I did, Adama and Roslin would have been together much earlier. **

"Madame President?"

"Admiral." Her nod was curt, and she entered his quarters with poise, her guards behind her shutting the hatch.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" His good manners were forced, and she knew that he wished her to be swift and to the point. _Probably so he could go back to drowning his sorrows, _Laura thought, feeling a sharp pang of sympathy.

Composing herself quickly, she regarded the man before her. His shoulder slumped, his uniform mussed up. His eyes looked at her blearily, as if he was covering up many emotions. There was no other word for it; the man before her was _broken. _

He no longer radiated power and purpose. He was just a shell.

_Damn Kara, _Laura thought angrily, seeing Bill slump defeated onto his couch, _how could you be so careless? Did you not care for those that loved you?_

Of course, blaming Kara and her death was just a convenience, but it made Laura feel slightly better, as she made her way over to Bill. She pulled the bottle of Ambrosia away from him, as he made a reach for it.

Anger flashed in Bill's eyes and he moved forward on the couch, his hands one again reaching out for the Ambrosia. Laura pulled it away again. Bill growled, but did not try again. Instead, he sighed and slumped forwards, his elbows on his knees and his head cradled in his shaking hands.

A comfortable silence settled over them, as Laura sat beside Bill, waiting for him to speak, to move, to do _something. _

She did not need to wait long, as his shoulders started to shake, followed by the sound of heavy breathing. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she felt the vibrations strongly as sobs racked his body. She carefully moved closer, and pulled his head away from his hands, placing it instead on her shoulder.

The gesture was small, but it was what Bill needed. He cried harder, his tears falling thick and fast on her suit jacket. After what seemed like forever, Bill's tears finally cleared up. He pulled his head away abruptly, and Laura sighed with disappointment. Now he would put his Admiral mask back in place, and they'd be back at the start, hiding emotions from each-other.

_No, _thought Laura strongly, _I will not let that happen. Not now._

"Let me in, Bill." She pleaded quietly, holding his forearm in her hands, gently tracing circles with her thumbs.

"Laura," He croaked quietly, trying to pull himself together, "Kara's gone. She's gone Laura," With that his tone turned angry, and his gaze rose up to meet hers, his eyes burning, "and she's not coming back. When we reach earth, I will take this Battlestar and I will hunt them all down Laura. All those frakkin' toasters. Every single one of them."

The anger inside him left after his small speech, and fatigue took over him.

_About time too, _Laura thought wryly, _all that Ambrosia and emotion. A normal man would have been unconscious a while ago._

But he was no ordinary man. No. In front of his crew and civilians, he was a God. Zeus, they called him. But sitting before her, he was not Zeus. He was not even Admiral Adama, the head of the fleet. The brutal, efficient, unemotional leader. No. Sitting in front of her was a man. A man who cared too much. Who was hurting at the loss of a member of his family. It was Bill who sat before her, and that thought made her heart ache.

He trusted her enough to be Bill. He confided in her, helped her when she was having trouble. This man comforted her during her cancer, came looking for her on Kobol, and rescued her on New Caprica.

_And I shall return the favours, _she thought resolutely. She grabbed his upper arm, and helped him up, steadying him when he swayed slightly. It reminded her much of the time when he helped her stand when she was weak. He had kissed her that time. A short, chaste kiss, but she took it to heart none the less.

_Someday, it'll all work out Bill. Someday, you'll be happy, and I'll be the one kissing you, and what we have won't be so difficult. _

She guided him slowly over to his rack, and slowly lowered him onto it. She removed his boots, his dog-tags and his jacket, pulling covers up over him. He seemed not to notice these gestures, staring at the ceiling above him, his eyes unfocused. Laura sighed and went to move away, but his hand snaked out and grabbed hers. Startled, she looked down at him. His eyes were focused now and she could see him looking at her, almost as if staring into the depths of her soul.

"It's all over, isn't it Laura?" He said quietly, his voice soft and intense, but still with the rough edge that she had come to know.

"No Bill," She replied fiercely. She slowly bent down and kissed his forehead softly, her lips lingering for a few moments, before taking his hand in hers. "This battle is. But the war, _that_ has yet to be won."

With that, he smiled slightly, and his breathing became even. As he slept on peacefully, Laura removed her hand and went towards his desk, seating herself gracefully in the chair.. Sighing and rubbing her eyes, she spoke clearly to the empty room;

"Frakkin' toasters."


End file.
